How Did It End? — English Premier League, EFL, and National League
One regular human gestation period ago, I predicted where the tables of the English Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, and National League would end.
This is what they looked like.
And following are my results.
Rules are simple — the difference between where I predicted a team finishing and where the team actually finished is deducted from my overall score. For example, if Cockermouth finished 36th but I predicted them to finish 41st, that would be -5 off my score. Easy.
Let’s go league by league.
PREMIER LEAGUE
Here’s what I predicted:-
1. Manchester City
2. Arsenal
3. Liverpool
4. Brighton
5. Chelsea
6. Tottenham Hotspur
7. Manchester United
8. Newcastle United
9. Aston Villa
10. Brentford
11. West Ham United
12. Crystal Palace
13. Burnley
14. Fulham
15. Nottingham Forest
16. Bournemouth
17. Everton
18. Luton Town
19. Wolves
20. Sheffield United
And here’s what really happened:-
1. Manchester City
2. Arsenal
3. Liverpool
4. Aston Villa
5. Tottenham Hotspur
6. Chelsea
7. Newcastle United
8. Manchester United
9. West Ham United
10. Crystal Palace
11. Brighton
12. Bournemouth
13. Fulham
14. Wolves
15. Everton
16. Brentford
17. Nottingham Forest
18. Luton Town
19. Burnley
20. Sheffield United
My previous scores are thus:-
2018/19 — -56
2019/20 — -72
2020/21 — -56
2021/22 — -84
2022/23 — -90
And this year my score is…
-46
Did I win?
Yeah, I’d say so! What I got right, I got dead on or one or two out. What I got wrong, I got wrong by 5+ — see Wolves, Bournemouth, Burnley, Brentford, Villa, and Brighton all proving me wrong. But still, my lowest score by ten points, so next season, Imma be all over it. THIRTIES HERE WE COME!
CHAMPIONSHIP
Here’s what I predicted:-
1. Leicester City
2. Southampton
3. Middlesbrough
4. Leeds United
5. Millwall
6. West Brom
7. Swansea City
8. Ipswich Town
9. Coventry City
10. Norwich City
11. Hull City
12. Sunderland
13. Cardiff City
14. Blackburn Rovers
15. Watford
16. Preston North End
17. Bristol City
18. Huddersfield Town
19. Stoke City
20. Birmingham City
21. QPR
22. Sheffield Wednesday
23. Plymouth Argyle
24. Rotherham United
And here’s what really happened:-
1. Leicester City
2. Ipswich Town
3. Leeds United
4. Southampton
5. West Brom
6. Norwich City
7. Hull City
8. Middlesbrough
9. Coventry City
10. Preston North End
11. Bristol City
12. Cardiff City
13. Millwall
14. Swansea City
15. Watford
16. Sunderland
17. Stoke City
18. QPR
19. Blackburn Rovers
20. Sheffield Wednesday
21. Plymouth Argyle
22. Birmingham City
23. Huddersfield Town
24. Rotherham United
My previous scores are thus:-
2019/20 — -140
2020/21 — -104
2021/22 — -138
2022/23 — -108
And this year my score is…
-76
Did I win?
I think I did a little bit… My first double-digit venture at this level and with my most wrong being a -8 from Millwall (who tried like the Dickens to shorten that) this is a rarity — one of my best, if not my best ever result.
LEAGUE ONE
Here’s what I predicted:-
1. Bolton Wanderers
2. Derby County
3. Barnsley
4. Blackpool
5. Peterborough United
6. Portsmouth
7. Reading
8. Charlton Athletic
9. Leyton Orient
10. Bristol Rovers
11. Wycombe Wanderers
12. Oxford United
13. Fleetwood Town
14. Wigan Athletic
15. Northampton Town
16. Shrewsbury Town
17. Burton Albion
18. Exeter City
19. Stevenage
20. Lincoln City
21. Cheltenham Town
22. Carlisle United
23. Port Vale
24. Cambridge United
And here’s what really happened:-
1. Portsmouth
2. Derby County
3. Bolton Wanderers
4. Peterborough United
5. Oxford United
6. Barnsley
7. Lincoln City
8. Blackpool
9. Stevenage
10. Wycombe Wanderers
11. Leyton Orient
12. Wigan Athletic
13. Exeter City
14. Northampton Town
15. Bristol Rovers
16. Charlton Athletic
17. Reading
18. Cambridge United
19. Shrewsbury Town
20. Burton Albion
21. Cheltenham Town
22. Fleetwood Town
23. Port Vale
24. Carlisle United
My previous scores are thus:-
2019/20 — -86
2020/21 — -106
2021/22 — -142
2022/23 — -104
And this year my score is…
-102
Did I win?
Not in the grander scheme of things, no. It’s my lowest triple-digit score so far, but so close to the doubles that it’s for sure disappointing. Any two of Lincoln, Stevenage, Reading, Fleetwood, Charlton, and Oxford could have made all the difference.
LEAGUE TWO
Here’s what I predicted:-
1. Gillingham
2. Mansfield Town
3. Wrexham
4. MK Dons
5. Stockport County
6. Notts County
7. Doncaster Rovers
8. Bradford City
9. Salford City
10. Forest Green Rovers
11. Crewe Alexandra
12. Sutton
13. Accrington Stanley
14. Crawley Town
15. Barrow
16. Morecambe
17. Walsall
18. Newport County
19. Swindon Town
20. Harrogate Town
21. Tranmere Rovers
22. AFC Wimbledon
23. Colchester United
24. Grimsby Town
And here’s what really happened:-
1. Stockport County
2. Wrexham
3. Mansfield Town
4. MK Dons
5. Doncaster Rovers
6. Crewe Alexandra
7. Crawley Town
8. Barrow
9. Bradford City
10. Wimbledon
11. Walsall
12. Gillingham
13. Harrogate Town
14. Notts County
15. Morecambe
16. Tranmere Rovers
17. Accrington Stanley
18. Newport County
19. Swindon Town
20. Salford City
21. Grimsby Town
22. Colchester United
23. Sutton United
24. Forest Green Rovers
My previous scores are thus:-
2019/20 — -152
2020/21 — -117
2021/22 — -142
2022/23 — -158
And this year my score is…
-122
Did I win?
So close, but no. And even then, just ‘so close’ to my best score, not what I’d deem a respectable one. Lotsa feck-ups there, with Wimbledon, Forest Green, and Salford my worst, but some bright sparks, namely Swindon and Newport back-to-back, but positions two to four were pretty stellar too.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Here’s what I predicted:-
1. Woking
2. Hartlepool United
3. Rochdale
4. Chesterfield
5. Oldham Athletic
6. Barnet
7. Eastleigh
8. Boreham Wood
9. Dagenham & Redbridge
10. Aldershot Town
11. York City
12. Solihull Moors
13. Bromley
14. AFC Fylde
15. Wealdstone
16. Southend United
17. Halifax Town
18. Maidenhead United
19. Altrincham
20. Gateshead
21. Kidderminster Harriers
22. Ebbsfleet United
23. Oxford City
24. Dorking Wanderers
And here’s what really happened:-
1. Chesterfield
2. Barnet
3. Bromley
4. Altrincham
5. Solihull Moors
6. Gateshead
7. Halifax
8. Aldershot Town
9. Southend United
10. Oldham Athletic
11. Rochdale
12. Hartlepool United
13. Eastleigh
14. Maidenhead United
15. Dagenham & Redbridge
16. Wealdstone
17. Woking
18. Fylde
19. Ebbsfleet United
20. York City
21. Boreham Wood
22. Kidderminster Harriers
23. Dorking Wanderers
24. Oxford City
My previous scores are thus:-
2020/21 — -130
2021/22 — -90
2022/23 — -122
And this year my score is…
-160
Did I win?
No. This was awful. For every Dorking or Kidderminster, it feels like there’s about thirty Altrinchams. That’s what I get for giving Woking an apology top-spot after vastly underpredicting them the year prior.
Just kinda got worse as it went on.
Oh well, there’s always next year. And it’ll be the best one yet.
Keep it streets ahead,
C.L.R.
